Winding-indicator for clocks.



PATBNTED APR. 5,.,1904.

` H'. WILL.

WINDING INDICATOR .POR cLocKs. v APPLIUATION IILED JAN. 5, 1904. N0MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 756,445. PATENTLD APR. 5, 1904.-l

. II. WILL.

WINDINC INDICATOR PCR CLOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED IIN. 5', 1904.

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WE1/1eme mi' @Lft 4dicator attached thereto.

UNITED l STATES` HUGH WILL, or

Patented April 5, 1904.

AVA, ILLINOIS.

WINDING-INDICATOR FOR CLOCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,446, dated April 5,1904.

Application iiled January 5, 1904.

T0 all whom, it may concern/:

Be it known that I, HUGH WILL, a citizen of the United States, residingat Ava, in the county of Jackson and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Winding-Indicators for Clocks;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription o f the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and usefulimprovements in automaticindicators, and adapted to be used more especially in connection withclocks; and my object is to provide a cheap, durable, and inexpensivedevice that will automatically indicate when the clock needs to berewound. y

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter made clearly apparent,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made a partof this application, and in whichl Figure 1 is a plan view of aspring-operated clock having a long pendulum-hanger and showing mydevice applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a mantel-clockor one having a short pendulum-hanger with the in- Fig. 3 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1, but showingla weight-operated mechanism instead of aspring. Fig. 4 is a sectional view thereof as seen from the dotted line4 4 in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the indicatormechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar reference-numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 designates a clockframe or housing, which may be of the usual or any preferred form.Inclosed within the housing 1 is the usual class of clock mechanism 2wherein a spring 3 is employed as motive power. Secured at a convenientpoint upon the rear wall of the housing l is a bracket 4, said brackethaving a tubular arm 5 extending at right angles to the body portion ofthe bracket proper.

The object in having the arm 5 hollow or tubular is to receive the freeend of the signal-arm 6, said free end being bent at right angles to themain portion of the arm and semi No. 137,829. or@ model.)

adapted to take into the orifice in said arm 5, thus pivotally securingsaid signal to said bracket.

At the outer end of the arm 6 I secure the signal proper, 7, and in theVclock construction shown in Fig. 1 said signal is designed to dropbelow the dial of the clock, so that it may be seen through the glass 8in the lower section of the housing. Thus it will be seen that vwhen theclock needs winding or is nearly run down the signal 7 will be broughtto view in a manner hereinafter set forth.

Secured to the rear wall of the housing 1 is a trip-lever 9, said leverhaving its lower end bent at right angles to the main upright portionand is provided with an eyelet, through which takes a screw 10 and bywhich means said lever is secured in the housing. The lever is againbent at right angles to itself near its upper end, as indicated at 11.The arm is then curved upwardly and then downwardly to form the curvedterminal 12, said lever being again bent at right angles, as shown at13, the outer free end thereof being bent to form the oblong looporretainer 14.

The arm 6 passes through the loop 14 and is bent up at or near where itpasses through said loop to form the inverted-U-shaped portion 15, saidU-shaped portion being designed to cooperate with the loop 14 to bringthe signal into view.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings the signal is shown in connection with ashortpendulum or mantel clock, and instead of the signal being exhibitedthrough the glass in the lower part of the frame an opening 16 isprovided in the dial, through which the signal is exhibited. Inoperation the spring 3 is wound up sufficiently and the signal 7 and arm6 elevated until the lower edge of the loop 14 is freed from theU-shaped portion 15, when said loop passes inwardly until the curvedterminal comes in con-tact with the spring 3 and the loop 14 restsbeneath the arm 6, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2. The trip-lever 9 isgiven a spring tension by placing a stop 18 at one side of said leverand near the lower end thereof, by which means the terminal-12 will becaused to bear against the spring 3 at all times. As the Y spring 3unwinds and expands the trip-lever 9 IOO is moved laterally, or in thisinstance to the left, and when the spring has nearly reached itsgreatest expansion the loop 14 will have reached the inverted-U-shapedportion of the arm 6 and permitted the signal 7 to drop down into view,thus signifying that the clock is almost run down and that it is time torewind the same.

In Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings I have shown my improved indicatorapplied to use in connection with a clock whereby the motive power issupplied by means of a weight, and in this connection the trip-lever 9is of a slightly different construction from that used in connectionwith a spring-actuated clock in that the lower end of said lever is sobent as to form a spring member or treadle 20, so located that theweight 21 in its descent comes in contact therewith for a purposehereinafter stated. The lever 9 is sliding-ly secured to the rear wallof the housing 1 by means of suitable bearings 22, one of which is nearthe upper and one near the lower end thereof. Immediately above theupper bearing 22 the lever 9 is bent to an oblique angle, as at 23, theextreme upper end thereof being formed into the loop 14 the same as inthe previous construction, the signal 7 and its accessory parts beingthe same as that shown in the previous. views. In operation when theweight descends and comes in contact with the upper arm 24 or' thetreadle 2O and presses it downwardly, and as the lever 9 is formedcontiguous with said treadle it is also moved downwardly, causing theoblique portion 23 thereof to cooperate with the upper bearing 22 andmove that part of the lever 9, carrying the loop 14, to the left untilit encounters the inverted-U-shaped portion 15, when the signal 7 dropsinto view, as previously stated. As soon as the clock has been rewoundthe signal 7 may be raised until the loop 14v is freed from the U-shapedportion 15, when the spring tension of the treadle will raise the lever9 toits normally upward position, bringing the loop 14 to the right ofthe U-shaped portion 15, and thus hold the signal 7 out of view untilthe weight again depresses the treadle 2O.`

It will now be seen that I have provided a device that willautomatically designate when the clock needs rewinding, and aspractically all the parts may be constructed of wire it enables me toconstruct the same very cheaply and at the same time produce a strong'and durable device that may be attached to any make of clock.

While I have described the preferred combination and construction ofparts deemed necessary in materializing my invention, I wish tocomprehend all substantial equivalents and substitutes which may beconsidered as falling fairly within the scope ofmy invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an indicator, the combination with a clock mechanism and a housingtherefor, of an indicator, an arm adapted to support said indicator,said arm being' bent up to form the inverted-U-shaped member 15, abracket having a tubular shai't adapted to receive one end of said arm,a trip-lever having' a loop at :its upper end and means to move saidtrip-lever and release the signal, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. As an article of manufacture, the hereindescribed signalingapparatus, comprising a signal proper 7, an arm having a bent-up portion15, abracket to support said arm, a triplever having a loop at its upperend adapted to receive said arm and also havinga contact point wherebywhen pressure is brought to bear upon said point said lever will beoperated to release said signal, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereoi` I ax my signature in presence or' two witnesses.

HUGH VILL.

Witnesses: v

I). S. VAGNER, I/VALTER QUALLs.

